Eyeshield for infants



I. M. OTWELL EYESHIELD FOR INFANTS Nov. 24, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 10, 1969 1 NVEN TOR. "IDA M. OTWELL f fj w ilrro/PA iya Nov. 24, 1970 I. M. OTWELL 3,541,608

EYESHIELD FOR INFANTS Filed March 10, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

[DA M. OTWELL United States Patent 3,541,608 EYESHIELD FOR INFANTS Ida M. Otwell, 7316 Sparta Ave., Birmingham, Ala. 35206 Filed Mar-.10, 1969, Ser. No. 805,453 Int. Cl. A61f 9/04 U.S. Cl. 2-15 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An eyeshield for an infant for use in post birth treatments that is highly effective in protecting the eyes of the infant and that cannot be removed from the head of the infant by downward, upward or lateral pulling by the hands of the infant. The eyeshield comprises a wide split band that fully covers the eyes of the infant, the split ends of the band being fastened to each other by a Velco fastener. A chin strap is carried by the eyeband and crossed straps attached to the eyeband serve to rest the eyeshield on the head of the infant.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in eyeshields for infants.

Infants shortly after birth are subjected to various examinations in which strong lights are used and often are treated by the use of strong lights for bilirubinemia. Bandages are usually used for protecting the eyes of the infant during this treatment but the infant has a tendency to grasp and tear away the protective bandage exposing the eyes to the dangerous rays of the lights.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an eyeshield for infants that is highly effective in protecting the eyes of the infant.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an eyeshield that cannot be removed by downward, upward or lateral pulling by the infant.

A further object is to provide an eyeshield of this kind that is adapted to fit various sizes of heads of infants.

Yet another object is to provide an eyeshield of this kind that is so economical to manufacture that it can be disposed of after a single use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an eyeshield for an infant embodying one form of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the eyeshield of FIG. 1 in collapsed condition before the ends of the eyeband are secured together.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the center of the eyeshield shown on the head of an infant.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of an eyeshield for an infant embodying a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a modified form of means for holding the eyeband in moved position along the chin strap.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the plane of the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of another modified form of means for holding the eyeband in moved position along the chin strap.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a modified form of eyeband.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring in detail to the various views of the drawings, in FIG. 1 a cap or eyeshield for an infant is illustrated and designated generally at 10. The eyeshield 10 is formed of suitable flexible fabric material. A split annular eyeband 12 is sufficiently wide to cover the eyes of an infant 3,541,608 Patented Nov. 24, 1970 as shown in FIG. 3. At the front thereof, the bottom edge of the band is indented as indicated at 14 Where the band rests upon the nose of the wearer and on each side of said indentation 14 there is printed on the outer surface of the band a representation of an eyelash 16, at points where the band fits over the eyes of the wearer. The ends of the band are fastened together by a Velco fastening device consisting of a strip 18 secured longitudinally on one end of the band, and a mating strip 20 secured in the same manner on the other end of the band. The strip 18 is covered with stiff little hooks 22, and the other strip 20 is covered with ting soft loops 24. When manually pressed together, the hooks and loops engage and adhere to each other creating an adjustable highly versatile and secure closure. In order to open the closure, it is simply peeled apart. These strips can be opened and closed a great many times.

An endless chin strap 26 of the same material as the eyeband is vertically disposed inside the eyeband 12 and is fastened to the eyeband by lines of stitching 28 and 30 along the top and bottom edges of the eyeband, respectively. The chin strap extends above and below the eyeband. A strap 32 of the same material extends laterally over the head of the wearer, spaced rearwardly of the chin strap, the ends of the strap 32 being secured to the inside surface of the eyeband by the line of stitching 28.

A pair of spaced straps 34 and 36 of the same material as the eyeband extend over the head of the wearer from the front to the back of the eyeband, the ends being secured to the inner surface of the eyeband by the line of stitching 28. Straps 34 and 36 pass over the chin strap 26 and the strap 32 and are secured thereto at the points 38 and 40, respectively.

In using the eyeshield or cap 10, with the ends of the eyeband 12 in open spaced apart position, the straps 32, 34 and 36 are placed on the top of the head of the infant and the chin strap 26 slipped under the chin. The ends of the eyeband are placed in overlapping position and moved longitudinally over each other until the desired size of eyeband is reached whereupon the overlapped ends are manually pressed together whereby the ends are securely and removably fastened to each other as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, with the eyeband 12 completely covering the eyes of the infant.

In FIG. 4, a modified form of cap or eyeshield 10 is shown which differs from the eyeshield 10 in that the eyeband 12 slides along the chin strap 26 to adjust the eyeshield to various sizes of heads of infants. In this form, the eyeband 12 is formed with a pair of opposed upper and lower slots 44 and 46, respectively, to receive slidably the chin strap 26'. The ends of the front and back straps 34 and 36 are secured to the chin strap 26 instead of to the eyeband 12'. The eyeband 12 slides up and down along the chin strap to fit the eyeshield to the head of the infant.

In FIG. 5, a modified form of eyeband 12" is shown wherein an oval shaped enlargement 48 is formed on the eyeband 12" behind each representation of eyelash 16", which enlargements fit into the sockets of the eyes of the infant when the band is in position on the infant as seen in FIG. 6.

A modified form of chin strap 26" is also shown in FIG. 5, the chin strap being provided with means for holding the sliding eyeband 12" in moved adjusted position. For this purpose, a Velco strip 18" is secured to the material of the eyeband 12" between the slots 44" and 46", the strip carrying stiff hooks 22" on the exposed surface thereof. A short strap 52 of fabric material is positioned above the eyeband 12" and has one end secured to the outer surface of the chin strap 26" as indicated at 54, along one side of the strap, the other end being free and carrying a Velco strip 20" with loops 3 24". A similar short strap 56 is positioned below the eyeband 12 and has one end secured to the outer surface of the chin strap 26" as indicated at 58 offset laterally from the plane of the strap 52. The other end of strap 56 carries a Velco strip 20" with loops 24" on its outer surface.

In use, when the eyeband 12" is slid along the chin strap 26" for a limited distance, the Velco strip 18" thereon will be within reach of the Velco strip 20 on either strap 52 or strap 56 whereupon when the strips are overlapped manual pressure is brought to hear thereon for fastening the strip 18" to the adjacent strip 20", thereby holding the eyeband 12" against sliding movement.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified form of arrangement of short straps 52a and 56a on chin strap 26a. Strap 52a is positioned centrally of the chin strap and carries the Velco strip 20a with loops 24a, and strap 56a is also positioned centrally of the chin strap 26a but is provided with a central rectangular shaped Window 60 with Velco loops 24a therearound on the surface of the Velco strip 20a. In order to hold the eyeband 12a in adjusted moved position, the strap 56a is moved to overlapping position over the Velco strip 18a on the eyeband 12a whereupon manual pressure is brought to bear between to fasten the strips 18a and 56a together. The strap 52a is then swung over the strip 56a and its strip 20a inserted through the window 60 so that the loops 24a interlock with the hooks 22a on strip 18a when manual pressure is brought to bear threagainst, thus holding the eyeband 12a in adjusted moved position.

In FIG. 8, the eyeband 12x is shown split at its front instead of at its rear end as shown in FIG. 1. The overlapped ends are provided with Velco strips so that the hooks 22x thereof and the loops 24x thereof interlock when manual pressure is brought to bear thereagainst thereby detachably fastening the ends together.

I claim:

1. An eyeshield for an infant comprising a broad split eyeband adapted to fit over the eyes of the infant, an endless strap connected to the eyeband and adapted to fit over the head and under the chin of the infant, a strap extending from the top side of the eyeband spaced rearwardly of the chin strap, a pair of spaced straps extending from the front top side of the eyeband to the rear top side thereof, and means for detachably fastening the split ends of the eyeband to each other.

2. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 1, the fastening means constituted by a Velco fastening device.

3. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 1, the fastening means constituted by a Velco fastening device including a strip on the surface of one end of the eyeband, still hooks protruding from said surface, and a strip on the surface of the other end of the eyeband with loops protruding from the surface of the latter strip, said ends adapted to overlap whereupon when manual pressure is brought to bear thereagainst the hooks and loops are interlocked.

4. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 3 wherein the eyeband is formed along its lower edge with an indentation at the point Where the eyeband engages the nose of the infant, the body of the eyeband having representations of eyelashes printed thereupon at the points where the body covers the eyes of the infant.

5. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 4 wherein the eyeband is formed along its lower edge with an indentation at the point where the eyeband engages the nose of the infant, the body of the eyeband having representations of eyelashes printed thereupon at the points where the body covers the eyes of the infant.

6. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 1 wherein the connection between the eyeband and chin strap is slidable, said slidable connection including a pair of aligned spaced slots in the eyeband for loosely receiving the chin strap.

7. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 1 wherein the connection between the eyeband and chin strap is slidable, said slidable connection including a pair of aligned spaced slots in the eyeband for loosely receiving the chin strap, and means for holding the eyeband in moved slidable position on the chin strap.

8. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 7 wherein said holding means includes a Velco strip on the eyeband on the material thereof between the slots, said strip having projecting hooks thereon, and a pair of short straps secured on the chin strap above and below the eyeband, each strap of the pair of straps carrying a Velco strip with loops projecting therefrom on the free end thereof, said straps being offset from each other laterally of the chin strap so that when swung into overlapping relation with the strip on the eyeband, the loops and hooks interlock for holding the eyeband against sliding movement along the chin strap.

9. An eyeshield for an infant as defined in claim 8 wherein the eyeband is formed with a pair of enlargements at the points where the eyeband passes over the sockets of the eyes of the infant when the eyeband is in operative position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,552 l/1931 Judd et al. 212 1,553,010 9/1925 Terry et al. 215

FOREIGN PATENTS 504,393 7/1954 Canada.

JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 128-163 

